Other records I enjoyed this year for the first time: Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen; a Nina Simone compilation a friend made; Atomic, Happy New Ears!; Art Blakey, Moanin’; Boris, Pink; Can, Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago; Ornette Coleman, Dancing in Your Head; Midlake, The Trials of Von Occupanther (the first half of it, anyway).

Wess, I’d recommend Battles and James Blackshaw. Both are instrumental and sonically overwhelming, though in a good way. But whereas Battles is kind of indie prog-rock, Blackshaw creates waves of sound with a twelve-string acoustic guitar.